Here is a video I made about alternative currency.
Here is a video I made about alternative currency.
nice video, I watched it yesterday. I believe that beans, bullets, and toiletries will be good currency. For example, in my town, it is the suburbs, with no real open land, no farms, etc. I believe that food, toiletries (%50 of the population are women), and bullets will be better than aluminum. I know longer-term, and rebuilding requirements will have to include metals, but I just can't plan that far out :/
For me, I have 50 bars of irish springs soap, 12 bottles of shampoo, 100 disposable razors, 3 packs of toothbrushes, and 10 shaving cream cans in my bathroom closet. (dont get it confused, that is also my deployment stock for when I deploy) so 2 uses
imagine what a mother would do for a bottle of shampoo (get your minds out of the gutter, dang!)
Last edited by GunnerMax; 12-10-2011 at 12:59 PM. Reason: dyslexia
I agree with you things like shampoo and razors will make great trading items. Even if it wasn't your deployment stock I don't see anything wrong with stocking up. I got lucky a while back a friend that works at a hotel gave me 4 cases of razors that schick dropped off to the hotel. I have a family of six so we try to stock up on everything and stay ahead of needing anything.
I am on the fence about stocking anything other than household goods for SHTF bartering, at least in my area. I am buying silver on the dips here and there, but only as an inflation hedge. The people around here are simply do not recognize anything other than common currency. I recently had to exchange my father's stash of $2 bills for "real" money because so many people would not accept them. And I tried to do trades on craigslist with a few silver dollars and people just cannot understand that I was not offering $1 for their stuff. They might get wise when things get really bad, but I am not counting on it. It makes me cringe when I think about how bad my area will be, and I can't wait to be able to move somewhere more appropriate.
I would be interested in seeing your video about melting the metals. Sounds like a neat project as long as I do not manage to burn my house down.
Barter will be the most used form of exchange, until an agreed upon medium and rate of exchange can be settled on. Paper currency will be useless. besides which you cann't eat precious metals.
"There are no winners in war, only bigger losers"
If you see me or hear me coming, I'm not doing my job.
Bartering sounds so harsh. The Feds don't like it because they do not get their tax. So I prefer to just call it trading.......... So if I have something that you want and you have something that I want then we can do business. The biggest thing that I see in the future is trading work or a service for something. Precious metals will have a place for larger purchases so long it is not a total collapse. However you need to know what you have and what it is worth to you before you start trading.
There is a local radio show in Cincinnati about investing. Approximately 2 or 3 years ago they were heavily recommending people invest in gold and silver due to the market. Several months ago they "jokingly" suggested ammunition as well because the metals will be useless until society straightens back out. They have "joked" about it several times since - including one important point - what caliber. If you're prepared you know what YOU need, but you wouldn't want to barter with that. They "joked" that the most common caliber is .22 and that is what you should get. It makes sense. Who doesn't have a .22 or access to one? 9mm or .40 is great, but everyone has a .22 kicking around somewhere, and right now ammo is still affordable. Of course, I'd be careful bartering with it, you wouldn't want it turned on you either!
if anyone read Patriots, the scene in it where the locals go to a flea market thing, is what I would expect. A general, friendly bunch of Americans trading stuff. ANd most everyone does not have enough ammo. My stubborn wife said NO when I said that she is to buy a 525 round of remington .22lr EVERY time she goes to walmart. My reply was this: Be prepared for ALOT of ammo to be shipped to the house. Probably in batches of 2,000 plus rounds at a time.
Those who will only recognize the currency now in use will come around, especially when folks laugh and recommend using it for fire starting, refusing to take it for goods.
While precious metals will have their uses, it will be somewhat limited for some time, should a complete economic collapse happen. Only established businesses with an established chain of supply will be able to utilize any type of currency such as precious metals. It will be almost useless at the local swap-meet. You'll need something others want, to trade for something you want.
Useful services will be needed as well. For the stock brokers, you better learn a blue-collar trade, at least well enough to keep you fed. Should things really go south, with no gov't after they were to collapse, it will be survival of the fittest. I could see the more entrepreneurial starting well-stocked camps, laying claim to large acreage, holding it by force. Their force will come from the new "indentured servants", folks who didn't have any preps and no protection, but a strong back and some basic skills to trade for food and a safe place for their families to sleep at night. These folks would work farms and tend animals, as well as provide a guard force.
After all, one of the big rumors about is that the FEMA camps would be filled in just such a way, with folks who couldn't support themselves going in for free food and shelter, the stipulation that they work. Difference is you'd be allowed your guns for the other folks, as the camp would need them.
Wouldn't hurt to stock some of mans' vices as well. Until everyone dries out, folks will give away anything for some cigarettes or booze. Things like soap and other personal hygene should be stocked anyway, just add more. Your morale is greatly improved after a shower, especially after not having one for a week or two.
Did anybody watch that tv mini-series a year or so ago? The one where they put this group of people together in a town abandoned after Katrina? Told 'em the Gov would be along to save them, gave them about a week or so worth of food. The experiment was 60 days long. A bunch of mixed folks, I'm sure picked, but well mixed. For not being survivalists, they got together and did some quite creative things. Anyway, one day a week or so in, a good rain came along. Didn't take long of watching that hard rain, and feeling sticky, a couple of the guys said "the hell with it" and were out in the rain, stripping down and getting a shower. The girls just looked kind of creeped out at first, but the stickiness won, and everybody bathed in the rain.
They then realized just how much it was worth it, and planned and built a shower.
They blew chunks on their security, and paid accordingly, the only real deficiency I saw. I ended up missing the last two episodes, so don't know what finally happened to them.
Last edited by Gunfixr; 01-01-2012 at 11:55 PM.
You need to read "lights out" gunfixr. FEMA, skills, and the like are the focusa of this HUGE book
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